Tiverton and Honiton

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Tiverton and Honiton
Former county constituency
for the House of Commons
TivertonHoniton2007Constituency.svg
Boundary of Tiverton and Honiton in Devon
EnglandDevon.svg
Location of Devon within England
County Devon
Electorate 75,839 (December 2010) [1]
Major settlements Tiverton, Honiton, Axminster, Seaton and Cullompton
1997–2024
SeatsOne
Created from Tiverton, Honiton
Replaced by Honiton and Sidmouth, Tiverton and Minehead

Tiverton and Honiton was a constituency in Devon, England. From its creation in 1997 until a 2022 by-election, the seat was represented by members of the Conservative Party. It was then held by Richard Foord of the Liberal Democrats until its abolition.

Contents

Following the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was abolished, with the majority, including the towns of Axminster, Cullompton, Honiton and Seaton, being included in the new constituency of Honiton and Sidmouth, which was first contested at the 2024 general election. The town of Tiverton and surrounding rural areas were transferred to the new cross-county boundary seat of Tiverton and Minehead. [2]

Constituency profile

This was a mostly rural constituency, covering a broad sweep between Exmoor to the north and Lyme Bay to the south, including the towns of Tiverton and Honiton and their surrounding villages (which include extensive farmland, rivers popular with kayakers and part of the Blackdown Hills). Some residents commute to Exeter. [3] Residents' wealth is around average for the UK. [4]

Boundaries

Tiverton and Honiton
Map of boundaries 2010-2024

1997–2010: The District of Mid Devon except the wards of Taw, Taw Vale, and West Creedy, and the District of East Devon wards of Broadclyst, Clystbeare, Clyst Valley, Exe Valley, Honiton St Michael's, Honiton St Paul's, Otterhead, Ottery St Mary Rural, Ottery St Mary Town, Patteson, and Tale Vale.

2010–2024: The District of Mid Devon wards of Canonsleigh, Castle, Clare and Shuttern, Cranmore, Cullompton North, Cullompton Outer, Cullompton South, Halberton, Lower Culm, Lowman, Upper Culm, and Westexe, and the District of East Devon wards of Axminster Rural, Axminster Town, Beer and Branscombe, Coly Valley, Dunkeswell, Feniton and Buckerell, Honiton St Michael's, Honiton St Paul's, Newbridges, Otterhead, Seaton, Tale Vale, Trinity, and Yarty.

Boundary changes for 2010

Parliament accepted the Boundary Commission's Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which slightly altered this constituency for the 2010 general election, and gave Devon 12 seats instead of 11. Some wards of Mid Devon District in this seat were transferred to the new Central Devon constituency; however, parts of the East Devon constituency, including the towns of Axminster and Seaton, were gained in return.

History

The seat came about when the town of Honiton from the Honiton constituency was added to the Tiverton constituency in 1997. Both were long-established seats, with the former having existed from 1640 and the latter from 1615. Both elected two Members of Parliament until the 1884 Reform Act reduced the number for both to one and their area was widened to cover two divisions of the county under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885.

Prominent holders of the seats in the 19th century included Whig politician Joseph Locke, a railway pioneer, who was MP for Honiton, and Lord Palmerston, who, while MP for Tiverton, served as the first Prime Minister from the newly formed Liberal Party (1855–1858 and 1859–1865).

The area served by the constituency had not been represented by a party other than the Conservative Party in Westminster since 1923. Following the 2022 Tiverton and Honiton by-election, the Liberal Democrats gained the seat from the Conservatives. The by-election was held following the resignation of Neil Parish after he was caught watching pornography in the House of Commons chamber (Parish himself admitted to doing so on two separate occasions). [5]

Members of Parliament

ElectionMember [6] Party
1997 Angela Browning Conservative
2010 Neil Parish Conservative
2022 Independent
2022 by-election Richard Foord Liberal Democrats

Elections

Results over time by percentage
Results over time by number of votes

Elections in the 2020s

A by-election for the United Kingdom parliamentary constituency of Tiverton and Honiton was held on 23 June 2022. [7] The vacancy was caused by the resignation on 4 May 2022 of the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP), Neil Parish of the Conservative Party, [8] following his admission to accusations that he viewed pornography on his mobile phone in the House of Commons chamber. [9] [10]

The election was won by Richard Foord of the Liberal Democrats. The Conservative majority of 24,239 in the 2019 general election is thought to have been the largest majority ever overturned in a by-election. [11] It was the party's third gain from the Conservatives since the 2019 general election, following their victory at Chesham and Amersham in June 2021, and in North Shropshire in December 2021. [12]

The election was held on the same day as the Wakefield by-election in West Yorkshire, [13] which the Conservatives lost to the Labour Party. [11] This was the first time since the 1991 Kincardine and Deeside and Langbaurgh by-elections that a British government has lost two seats in by-elections on the same day.

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Tiverton and Honiton [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Neil Parish 35,893 60.2 ―1.2
Labour Liz Pole11,65419.5―7.6
Liberal Democrats John Timperley8,80714.8+6.8
Green Colin Reed2,2913.8+0.3
UKIP Margaret Dennis9681.6New
Majority 24,23940.7+6.4
Turnout 59,61371.9+0.4
Conservative hold Swing +3.3
General election 2017: Tiverton and Honiton [15]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Neil Parish 35,471 61.4 +7.4
Labour Caroline Kolek15,67027.1+14.4
Liberal Democrats Matthew Wilson4,6398.0―2.5
Green Gill Westcott2,0353.5―2.9
Majority 19,80134.3―3.2
Turnout 57,81571.5+1.0
Conservative hold Swing ―3.5
General election 2015: Tiverton and Honiton [16]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Neil Parish 29,030 54.0 +3.7
UKIP Graham Smith8,85716.5+10.5
Labour Caroline Kolek6,83512.7+3.8
Liberal Democrats Stephen Kearney5,62610.5―22.8
Green Paul Edwards3,4156.4+4.9
Majority 20,17337.5+20.5
Turnout 53,76370.5―1.0
Conservative hold Swing ―3.4
General election 2010: Tiverton and Honiton [17] [18]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Neil Parish 27,614 50.3 +3.6
Liberal Democrats Jon Underwood18,29433.3+4.2
Labour Vernon Whitlock4,9078.9―4.4
UKIP Daryl Stanbury3,2776.0+1.2
Green Cathy Connor8021.5―1.3
Majority 9,32017.0+0.6
Turnout 54,89471.5+1.0
Conservative hold Swing ―0.3

Elections prior to the 2010s

General election 2005: Tiverton and Honiton [19]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Angela Browning 27,838 47.9 +0.8
Liberal Democrats David Nation16,78728.9―6.9
Labour Fiona Bentley7,94413.7+1.8
UKIP Bob Edwards2,4994.3+2.0
Liberal Roy Collins1,7012.9+1.8
Green Colin Matthews1,3992.4+0.6
Majority 11,05119.0+7.7
Turnout 58,16869.8+0.6
Conservative hold Swing +3.8
General election 2001: Tiverton and Honiton [20]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Angela Browning 26,258 47.1 +5.8
Liberal Democrats James Barnard19,97435.8―2.7
Labour Isabel Owen6,64711.9―0.9
UKIP Alan Langmaid1,2812.3New
Green Matthew Burgess1,0301.8+1.0
Liberal Jennifer Roach5941.10.0
Majority 6,28411.3+8.5
Turnout 55,78469.2―8.4
Conservative hold Swing +4.2
General election 1997: Tiverton and Honiton [21]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Angela Browning 24,438 41.3 −9.9
Liberal Democrats James Barnard22,78538.5+6.8
Labour John King7,59812.8+1.9
Referendum Stephen Lowings2,9525.0
Liberal Jennifer Roach6351.1
Green Emily McIvor4850.8
National Democrats Del Charles2360.4
Majority 1,6532.8
Turnout 59,12977.6
Conservative win (new seat)

See also

Notes

    References

    1. ↑ "Electorate Figures - Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
    2. ↑ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report – South West". Boundary Commission for England . Retrieved 2 August 2023.
    3. ↑ UK Polling Report http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/2015guide/tivertonandhoniton/
    4. ↑ Electoral Calculus https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/fcgi-bin/seatdetails.py?seat=Tiverton+and+Honiton
    5. ↑ Ambrose, Tom (30 April 2022). "Tory Neil Parish to resign as MP after porn 'moment of madness'". The Guardian . Retrieved 30 April 2022.
    6. ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "T" (part 2)
    7. ↑ Doherty, Caitlin (17 May 2022). "Wakefield by-election: Writ laid in Parliament for vote in West Yorkshire constituency". Yorkshire Post . Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
    8. ↑ Lynch, David (4 May 2022). "Neil Parish formally resigns after admitting watching pornography in the Commons". Independent. Archived from the original on 4 May 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
    9. ↑ Ambrose, Tom (30 April 2022). "Tory Neil Parish to resign as MP after porn 'moment of madness'". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 30 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
    10. ↑ "Manor of Northstead". GOV.uk. 4 May 2022. Archived from the original on 4 May 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
    11. 1 2 Walker, Peter (24 June 2022). "Tories lose two key byelections on same night in Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton". The Guardian .
    12. ↑ "Tories lose North Shropshire seat they held for nearly 200 years". BBC News. 17 December 2021. Archived from the original on 17 December 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
    13. ↑ Ford Rojas, John-Paul (17 May 2022). "Boris Johnson faces test as Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton by-elections triggered". Sky News. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
    14. ↑ "Statement of Persons Nominated" (PDF).
    15. ↑ "2017 general election candidates in Devon". Devon Live. 11 May 2017. Archived from the original on 11 May 2017.
    16. ↑ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
    17. ↑ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
    18. ↑ Finan, Kevin (20 April 2010). "Statement of Persons Nominated - Tiverton & Honiton" (MS Word). Acting Returning Officer, Mid Devon District Council. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
    19. ↑ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
    20. ↑ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
    21. ↑ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.

    Sources

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